Feed device for continuous plating barrel



Jan; 13, 1959 R. G. BIKALES FEED DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS PLATING BARREL Filed Nov. 13, 1957 I 5 1'I.III.I,4IIIIIIIII"l"IIIII.'1."p"I"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l N v E N TO R P/c/mpu GEoFFPEYB/KALES ATTORNEYS FEED DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS PLATING BARREL Filed Nov. 15, 1957 Jan. 13, 1959 R. G. BIKALES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mail.

INVENTOR Fae/MRO G'EoFFREY Eumuss United States Patent FEED DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS PLATING BARREL Richard Geolfrey Bikales, Bayside, N. Y., assignor to Metal and Thermit Corporation, Woodbridge Townrjhip, Middlesex County, N. .L, a corporation of New ersey 1 Application November 13, 1957, Serial No. 696,198

3 Claims. (Cl.- 204201) This invention relates .to electroplating barrels and particularly the improved means for moving the work longitudinally through said barrel. The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings isshown in connection with an-electroplating barrel of a type used in chromium plating. Heretofore a continuous spiral device has been used on the interior wall of the barrel to move the work from the inlet end of the barrel to the discharge end. Although the continuous spiral has been used extensively, it has several disadvantages for an electroplating barrel. Because the work is pushed continuously by the spiral feeding device, there'is a tendency for it to bunch up against the spiral and ithas also been found that the spiral itself acts as a shield and sometimes impedes proper plating of the work pieces.

The spiral feed device itself is rather expensive to make and to repair.

A second type of conveying device occasionally used in rotary machines subtsituted a plurality of stirring blades for a spiral, with the stirring blades angled so as to promote a gradual movement of the contents longitudinally of the barrel. Such bladed barrels did produce tumbling, but had the disadvantage of moving different objects in the batch through the machine at different rates of speed, since the lack of an overlap between blades allowed some objects to maintain a relatively constant position longitudinally of the barrel while others through chance would progress at a faster rate. In addition, with the old blade means of transport, the shape of the object being stirred affected the time of travel of the object. With my invention, the time of transit of all objects in the batch is substantially equal and independent of shape (the advantages of the old continuous spiral), while the tumbling action of the angled blade means is also present.

The present invention has to do with a feeding device which does not possess the above-mentioned disadvantages but will produce free tumbling of the work in the barrel most of the time. In addition, solution circulation through the rotating cylinder is improved, thus minimizing overheating of the cylinder.

The construction shown is very simple to make and inexpensive to install. It also allows for a better visual inspection of the inside of the barrel while the work is in progress. The construction described herein also permits of the ready installation of so-called tumbler strips in the barrel, devices which are advantageous with certain types of work.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view in sectional elevation of a tumbling barrel of the type used in chromium plating small articles;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view in section of the tumbling barrel shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section through 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a plate or bafile utilized in the present invention.

Looking at the drawings, especially at Fig. 1, a solu- "ice 15 and 16 which rest on bearings 17 and 18. A central shaft 20 is driven by pulley 21 from electric motor 22. This shaft has a snug fit within the hollow shafts 15 and 16 but insulated therefrom by suitable insulation bushings (not shown). On this shaft 20 is mounted a cylindrical anode 25 and both the anode 25 and the drum 12 rotate together. The drum 12 acts as a cathode. 'The anode 25 is connected to one side of a source of power and the drum 12 to the other through suitable commutator discs (not shown). The drum 12 and the anode 25 are so arranged on the tank 10 that the bottom portions thereof are immersed in the solution when it is at its normal level, as shown in Fig. 1. The right side of the drum or barrel 12, as seen in Fig. 1, is the inlet side and the pipe or channel 30 is designed to convey the work pieces to the interior of the barrel. The left side 'of the barrel, as viewed'in the same figure, is the discharge end. When the work pieces reach that end they are picked up by scoops 31 and dropped into the discharge chute 32. y

The invention herein has to do with means for moving the work pieces from the inlet end of the barrel 'to the discharge end. This device consists of a row or series of plates or baffles on the wall of the barrel 12, as shown at 35, and as will be readily seen in Fig. 2, each plate is arranged at an angle to the longitudinal line of the drum 12 and so spaced and arranged that each plate overlaps theadjacent plate. The angle of the plates may be varied depending on how rapidly the work is to be moved from one end of the barrel to the other and depending on the character of the work pieces being treated, but a size and configuration, as shown in the drawings, has been found quite practical for electrochromium-plating small size articles which are normally handled in a barrel of the type shown. The plates or baffles 35 may be of plastic material or may be of metal coated with plastic. As shown, the plates 35 are mounted on edge and are curved to fit the inner wall of the barrel 12, as shown in Fig. 4. They may be drilled with holes 37 to receive bolts or studs to attach the plates or baffles to the inner wall of the barrel. The number of baffies 35 may vary but it is desirable to have them overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 2.

In operation, as the barrel is rotated in the direction of the arrows shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the leading edge 35a of the baflies will engage the work pieces on or near the bottom of the barrel and the baffle will move the work pieces longitudinally of the bottom of the barrel from the right side, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, to the left side. The bafiies will also disengage from the work pieces as the baffles move up; in other words, move up the left side of the barrel, as seen in Fig. 3. This disengagement will permit the work pieces to tumble freely from the trailing edge 35b and prevent jamming and then as the baflles come down the right side, as shown in Fig. 3, and approach the bottom of the barrel, they will again engage the work pieces and advance them along the bottom of the barrel, but the work pieces will be engaged by different baffles and in different relationship to each other to avoid jamming or crowding them. In this waythey will be tumbled freely to present a fresh surface to the solution while at the same time maintaining proper electrical contact with the interior of the tumbling barrel 12. This periodic engagement and disengagement of the work pieces by the means for advancing them, has been found particularly advantageous over the older style spiral conveying devices.

What is claimed is:

1. In a plating machine especially adapted for chrmium plating from a chromic acid type solution comprising a tank adapted to hold the plating solution at a predetermined solution level therein, a horizontal rotatable metallic barrel adapted to be partly immersed in said solution and with which work articles therein may make electrical contact and one end of said barrel adapted to receive work articles to be plated and the other end to discharge said articles, thecombination of means adapted to move work pieces longitudinally of said barrel comprising a plurality of plates arranged on edge in a longitudinal row on the inside wall of said barrel with each plate angularly disposed in the same direction to the longitudinal line of said row of plates and each plate disposed relative to the other plates so that any plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said cylinder between the leading edge of one end plate and the trailing edge of the other end plate will intersect at least one plate.

2. In a plating machine having a rotating barrel adapted to be partly filled with a plating solution and means for introducing loose objects to be plated into the entering end of said barrel and means for removing said objects from the leaving end of said barrel and electrical means for plating such objects while in the barrel, an improvement for the longitudinal transportation of the objects while in the barrel comprising a plurality of plates fastened by one edge to the inside surface of said barrel and projecting inwardly therefrom, said plates so positioned that the distance from the entering'end of the barrel to the leading edge of any one plate is less than the distance from the entering end of the barrel to the trailing edge of the same'plate and the difference between these distances is less than one-quarter of the length of the barrel and so that all planes passed perpendicular to the axis of the barrel between the leading edge of the plate closest to the entering end of the barrel and the trailing edge of the plate closest to the leaving end of the barrel will cut at least one suchplate,iforming an acute angle therewith.

3. In a plating machine having a rotating barrel adapted to be partly filled with a plating solution and means for introducing loose objects to be plated into the entering end of said barrel and means for removing said objects from the leaving end of said barrel and electrical means for plating such objects while in the barrel, an improvement for the longitudinal transportation of the objects while in the barrel comprising a plurality of plates fastened by one edge to the inside surface of said barrel and projecting inwardly therefrom, said plates so positioned that the distance from the entering end of the barrel to the leading edge of any one plate is less than the distance from the entering .end of the barrel to the trailing edge of the same plate and the difference between these distances is less than one-half of thelength of the barrel and so that all planes passedperpendicular to the axis of the barrel between the leading edge of the plate closestto the entering end of the barrel and the trailing edge of the plate closest to the leaving end of'the barrelwill cut at least one such plate, forming an acute angle therewith.

Danckwardt Sept. '18, 1894 Ransohofi Feb. 12, 1952 

1. IN A PLATING MACHINE ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CHROMIUM PLATING FROM A CHROMIC ACID TYPE SOLUTION COMPRISING A TANK ADAPTED TO HOLD THE PLATING SOLUTION AT A PREDETERMINED SOLUTION LEVEL THEREIN, A HORIZONTAL ROTATABLE METALLIC BARREL ADAPTED TO BE PARTLY IMMERSED IN SAID SOLUTION AND WITH WHICH WORK ARTICLES THEREIN MAY MAKE ELECTRICAL CONTACT AND ONE END OF SAID BARREL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE WORK ARTICLES TO BE PLATED AND THE OTHER END TO DISCHARGE SAID ARTICLES, THE COMBINATION OF MEANS ADAPTED TO MOVE WORK PIECES LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BARREL COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PLATES ARRANGED ON EDGE IN A LONGITUDINAL ROW ON THE INSIDE WALL OF SAID BARREL WITH EACH PLATE ANGULARLY DISPOSED IN THE SAME DIRECTION TO THE LONGITUDINAL LINE OF SAID ROW OF PLATES AND EACH PLATE DISPOSED RELATIVE TO THE OTHER PLATES SO THAT ANY PLANE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CYLINDER BETWEEN THE LEADING EDGE OF ONE END PLATE AND THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE OTHER END PLATE WILL INTERSECT AT LEAST ONE PLATE. 